Matagorda County
Established in 1836, Matagorda County has a land area of 1,093.1 square miles and a population of over 36,000 residents. Its government seat and largest city is Bay City.
The Matagorda County trial court system consists of District Courts, a Constitutional County Court, Justice Courts, and Municipal Courts. Matagorda County residents are served by the 130th and 23rd District Courts of Texas. These courts have general jurisdiction over legal disputes arising in the county but typically handle felony criminal cases, election matters, divorce cases, disputes over title to land, and other cases beyond the jurisdiction of other courts in the county. Headed by the County Judge, the County Court has jurisdiction over misdemeanors, small claims, probate cases, and juvenile matters.
Furthermore, there are six Justice Courts in Matagorda County. The jurisdiction of these courts is limited to small claims not exceeding $20,000 in value, debt claims, eviction cases, issuance of warrants, certain misdemeanors, and truancy cases. Additionally, some cities and towns in Matagorda County have municipal courts with jurisdiction over municipal ordinance violations and certain misdemeanors.
Matagorda County public court records are documents and other materials containing official information about legal proceedings of the courts in the county. Examples of details that may be found in these records include parties' names and designations, case numbers, hearing dates, attorney information, and court orders. Each court in the county has a clerk who files, organizes, and preserves case records. The clerks also facilitate public access to different types of case files, including:
- Civil records
- Criminal records
- Small claims records
- Probate records
- Family law records
- Traffic records
Interested persons may access Matagorda County court records online through the re:SearchTX or Odyssey Public Access portals. However, for physical copies of district court records, submit a completed Record Request Form to the District Clerk's office via email or in person at:
1700 7th Street
Room 307
Bay City, TX 77414-5092
Phone: (979) 244-7621
Similarly, physical copies of county court records are available at the County Clerk's office. The clerks of the Justice and Municipal Courts also provide public access to their respective records.